Signal system



I Feb. 26, 1924 3 1,484,713 I J. M. JOHNSON smmu. SYSTEM Filed June *1, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm H M 7 w m 5 M um J \A n w l ahm m I \h \N v Q, .@m mw m .8

Feb. 26 1924.

' J. M. JOHNSON smmn SYSTEM Filed June 7. 1919 s Sheds-Sheet. z

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J. M. JOHNSON S IGNAL S YSTEM Filed June '7. 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. John M Job/won,

BY fffi W,

A TTORNE Y.

JOHN M. JGHNSON, OF

EIANSSAS CITY. IVIESSOURI, ASSIGITOR- TO THE UNITED STATES AUTQMATIQ FIRE ALARM CQMPZQ Y, A GQEEORATION OF MISSOURI.

SIGNAL SiZ'STEIiE.

Application filed June '7, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. JoHNsoN,

State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Signal Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to signal systems, and an important feature resides in a transmitter which may be employed to advantage in various signaling systems, but is more particularly adapted for use in connection with the automatic fire alarm system disclosed in a 'copending application filed May 28. 1917. Serial Number 171,559.

One object of the invention is to provide an all metallic circuit, so that ground circuits need not be employed in transmission of signals.

A further object is to provide a transmitter which automatically transmits two sigi..-ls--one a fire alarm signal and the .ther a trouble signal-so that an operator in. charge at the central station can readily distinguish between the two.

Another object is to provide a transmitter of this character which cannot be set for operation unless the circuit wires are intact.

Other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear, and in order that said invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the transmitter set ready for operation.

Fig. 2 is a. fragmentary, side elevation, showing the position certain parts occupy after the transmitter has sent in a trouble signal.

Fig. 3 is an irregular, vertical, sectional view on line HIIH of Fig. 5, and embo ies number of features not disclosed by said Fig.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the transmitter with some of the parts removed, and upper portion in section on line IV of Fig. 5 is a plan view of the transmitter, with some of the parts removed.

6 is a diagimm of the transmitter connected to a house circuit and the main line circuit, and in the act of transmitting a signal over the main line.

Serial No. 302,483.

Referring first to the mechanical construction of the transmitter, 1 designates a "frame in which a main shaft 2 is journaled. Said main shaft 2 has a rectangular terminal 3 (Figs. 1 and 2) at one end to receive a key (not shown), whereby it may be rotated to wind a motor spring 5, connected at one end to the shaft 2 and at its opposite end to a transverse frame member 7, secured to opposite sides of the frame 1.

The main shaft 2, Fig. 3, is provided with a fixedly-mounted ratchet wheel 9 engaged by a pawl 11, pivotally mounted upon a large cog wheel 15, which is looselymounted upon. the shaft 2. The free end of the pawl 11 is yieldably-held in engagement with the ratchet wheel 9 by a spring 17, hearing at one end against said pawl 11 and fixed at its opposite end to the cog wheel 15.

Unwinding of the motor spring 5 is regulated by a train and a governor, comprising the cog wheel 15, a pinion intermeshing with said cog wheel 15 and fixedlyniouuted upon a shaft 21 journaled in frame 1. an escape wheel 23 fixed to the pinion 20.. a detent 25 to coact with the escape wheel 23. a governor arm 29, and a weight on said governor arm 29. The detent 25 is fixed to a rock shaft 27, mounted in opposite sides of the frame 1 and carrying the upwardly-extending governor arm 29. When the transmitter is in set position. Figs. 1 and 3, the spring 5 is prevented from unwinding through the intermediacy of the train of gearing, the governor, and a lever 32, the rear end of which abuts the upper end of the governor arm 29 and holds the same stationary under normal conditions.

The lever 32 is provided at its forward end with an armature 3 1 and is mounted upon a spindle 35, journaled in opposite sides of the frame 1. Said armature 34 is mechanically controlled by the lever 32 under normal conditions and electrically controlled. when a signal is transmitted by an electromagnet 36 fixed to a bracket 37, secured to the frame 1 and carrying a second electromagnet 38, adapted to electrically control an armature 39 fixed to the forward end of a lever 40, mounted upon a spindle 12 journaled in opposite sides of the frame 1. A spring 13, fixed at one end to the lever 40 and bearing at its opposite end and is secured at its forward end to the lever 1O. The arm 17 is tilted to the lever 32 and extends across the top 'of the lever 40, to enable the latter to raise the rear end of the lever 32, when the armature 39 is attracted by the electromagnet 38. When the rear end of the lever 32, is raised it is secured in such position by a lock bar l9, fixed at its lower end upon a rook-shaft 50, journaled in the framel and actuated to swing the lock bar 49 beneath the raised end of the lever 32 by a spring 52, fixed at one end to the shaft 50 and hearing at its opposite end against a transverse member 53 of the frame 1'. The rocking movement of the shaft 50 is restricted by an arm 55, fixed to said shaft 50 and having its forward end bent at right angles and extending through an opening 57 (Fig. 1) in the adjacent side of the frame 1 to restrict the rocking movement of the arm 55. Said arm 55. extends rearwardly into the path or a lateral projection 60 (Fig. l) on the free end of a hand lever 61 (Figs. 1 and l), mounted on a pivot 62 and normally held in raised position against a stop 63 by a spring 64:. hen the free end of the hand lever 61 is swung downwardly the projection 61') engages the rear end of the arm 55 and rocks the shaft 50, causing it to swing the lockbar 49 from beneath the rear end of the lever 32 which is then depressed to normal position against the top of the frame men her 45 by the springs 43 and 48.

The hand lever 61 normally covers the rectangular end 3 of the main shaft 2. Hence, a. key cannot be applied to said rectangular end 3 to wind the spring 5, with out depressing said'lever 61 and causing it to contact-tint arm 55. which in turn recite the shaft 50 and swings the lock bar 49 from beneath the lever so that thesame can be restored to normal position by the springs lVlien the hand lever 61" is do pressed to engage the arm as above doscribed said hand lever 61 is also brought into close relation with a make-and-break switch 71 and prevents the blade thereof from becoming disengaged from the switch contacts 72, against the action of a spring 73 hearing against the underside of the switch lever 75 and tending to swing the same upwardly on its pivot 74. The switch notches 7 8 to receive a transverse pin 79,.

projecting from the lever 75. When the parts are in normal position (Fig. 1), the

switch 71 is held in closed position by the periphery of the code-wheel 7 6 bearing upon the tranverse pin 79, but when the trans: mitter is in action and the code-wheel is revolving the switch 71 intermittently interrupts the circuit passing therethrough as the pin 79 successively enters the notches 73.

The code-wheel 7 6 is provided with a wrist-pin 81 for engagement with a gear wheel 82 of the Geneva type, journaled upon a stub shaft 83 secured to the adjacent side of the frame 1. Said gear wheel 82 is provided at its upper side with. a tooth 84+. and at its lower side with a stop 85, which latter contacts a Geneva wheel 7'7 and limits winding of the spring 5. Said stop 85 isalso adapted to engage the outturned lower end of a push-bar 87 (Fig. 3) when the spring 5 unwinds and thus causes said push-bar 87, through the intermediacy of the lever l0 to which it is connected, to rock the" spindle l2 and thus raise a latch 88 (Fig. 1) mounted thereon, outof engagement with a lug 89 on alever 90 carrying a switch blade 92, adapted to coact with two pairs of contacts 93 arranged at the opposite side of said blade.

The lever 90 is insulated from the blade 92 and provided atits upper end with a handle 96 and mounted at its lower end upon a pivot 98, projecting from the adjacent side of the frame 1. A stop 91' on the lever 90, is adapted to engage the tooth 84: on the gear 82, as disclosed by Fig. 2, to check the rotation of said gear 82 when trouble signal is transmitted; A spring fixed to the pivot 98 and bearing against the lever 90. swings the-same to the left to throw the blade 92 out of engagement with the contacts 93 and into engagement with the contacts 94:, when the latch 88 is raised out of engagement with the lug 89. Stops 101 and 102 fixed to the frame 1 and disposed at opposite sides of the lever 90 serve to limit the pivotal movement thereof.

The gear wheel 82 has a concentric surface 105with recesses 107 and 108 to receive the downturned end of a lever 110 fulcrumed at 112 and hearing at'its opposite insulated end against the spring contact 114: of a short-circuit switch 116'securedto but insulated. from the frame 1. The short circuit switch 116 is normally open but when the'gear wheel 82 rotates and raises the lever 110 out ofthe recess 10?, the rear end of said lever 110 forces the contact 1.1.4: against the COlilPtllllthcontact 118 and closes the switch which remains closed until the downturnen end of; the lever 119 drops into either house wire 12%- is no neeted to the opposite poles 0t mercurial th inostats 128, which are aceil apart as desired, while the house wire 128 constitutes a open circuit and has terminals riding down into the thermostats normally in contact with the mercury in the lower portions of the glass or l nonconducting tubes 1%.

but not other The ends of the house wire 12% are connected to the main line wire 120, while the ends of the circuit wire 126 are connected to the upper pair of contacts 93.

lormally the current enters over the main line wire 120 and passes through one pair of contacts 72, the switch blade 70, the opposite pair of contacts 72, baclr to the main line wire 120 to the house wire 12%, through the thermostats 128, back to the main line wire 120, through a resistance coil 138, and re turns through the main line wire 122 to the central ofiice.

Should a fire occur and cause the mercury in one of the thermostats to expand and contact the respective terminal 130, the resistance offered by the coil 138 causes the current on the wire 12 1 to pass through the closed thermostat to the wire 126, over which it flows to the upper contacts 93, the switch blade 92, the lower contacts 93, a wire 140, the electromagnet 36, and to the main line wire 122, through a wire 142.

The passage of the current through the electromagnet 36 energizes the same and causes it to attract its armature 3 1, which rocks the lever 32, causing its rear end to swing upwardly against the resistance of the springs 48 and 4-8 and release the governor 29 and the lock-bar 49. When the governor 29 is thus released and free to oscillate, it, through the intermediacy or the detent 25, unlocks the train of gearing and permits the spring 5 to unwind. As the spring 5 unwinds it rotates the shait 2 and the codewheel 7 6, which in turn intermittently rotates the gear 82, until the stop 85 contacts the outturned end of the push-bar 87, causing the same to rock the lever 40 against the resistance ofi'ered by the spring 48 until checked by the armature 39 contacting the electromagnet 38. Before the gear 82 is checked and in turn checks the code-wheel 76 the ter makes several revolutions and carries its notches 78 successively into coincidence with the pin 79 on the blade of the malre-and-break switch 71, thus permitting said blade 70 to be intermittently forced upwardly out of engagement with the con- 72 by the spring 73 and repeatedly transmit a fire alarm signal to the central otiice.

When the electromagnet 36 is intermittently deenergized by the intermittent openof the make-and-breah switch 71, the rear end or the armature lever 32 is prevented from being forced downwardly by the springs 43 and 48 into the path ofthe governor arm 19 and interrupting the fire alarm signal, by the lock bar as, which was instantly forced by the spring 52, beneath said lever 32 when the electromagnet 86 was nitially energized i 7 hen the lever 40 rocks until checked by armature 39 contacting the electromagnet 38, as above described, said lever e0 rocks the spindle 42, causing it to raise the latch 88 out of engagement with the lug 89 on the lever 90, which is immediately urged to the left by the spring 100 until it strikes the stop 102. This movement of the lever 90 throws the switch blade 92 out of engagement with the contacts 93 and into engagement with the contacts 94:, thus cutting out the house circuit and establishing the main line circuit through the contacts 94, the blade 92, and circuit wires 150 and 152. Hence, should a fire occur in a second building similarly equipped before the transmitter in the first building is reset a second alarm is transmitted to the central office through the newly established circuit.

After the fire alarm has been transmitted to the central ofiice by the first house equipment, the transmitter cannot be reset until the spring 5 is rewound by merely swinging the blade 92 back into engagement with the contacts 93, as the latch 88 cannot engage the lug 89, owing to the fact that said latch is held in raised position through the intermediacy of the spindle 42, the lever i0, the push-bar 87 and the gear 82, the stop 85 of which bears against the outturned end of said push-bar 87. However, when the spring 5 is rewound the code-wheel 76 and the gear wheel 82 are restored to normal position, Fig, 1, and the gear stop 85 is carried out of engagement with the outturned end of the pushbar 87, thus permitting the spring l3 to rock the lever to to normal position, Fig. 3. This operation of the leverv 4O rocks the spindle i2 and swings the latch 88 downwardly to engage and hold the lug 89 after the lever 90 has been manually swung back to restore the blade 92 into engagement with the two pairs of contacts 93, for the purpose of re-establishing the-first house circuit.

When the hand lever 61 is forced downwardly to expose the rectangular terminal 3 or" the main shaft 2, for the application of the winding key, said lever 61 is brought adjacent to the top of the blade 70 and pre- '72 and the main line is maintained, and a false alarm is prevented from being transmitted to the central oiiice during the winding operation. [is the lever 61 is depressed its lateral projection 60 contacts the rear end of the arm 55, causing the same to rock the spindle 50 and swing the lock-bar 49 from beneath the lever 32, so that the same may be forceddownwardly into engagement with the frame member 4-5 by the spring 18 and hold said lock-bar 19 and the governor 29 in normal position,

In case no fire exists and the normally closed local circuit is interrupted by the breakage of a thermostat 128, or the break age of the house wire 12 1, a trouble signal in transmitted to the central oiiice, as follows: The current entering over the main line wire 120, is shunted through a wire 160, the electromagnet 38, and returns through a wire 162 to the main line wire 120. Said current energizes the electromagnet 38, cansing it to attract the armature 39 and rock the lever 40, which in turn rocks the spindle 42, causing it to raise the latch 88 out of engagement with the lug 89., whereupon the lever 90 is urged by the spring 100 to the left and carries the switch blade 92 into engagement with the contacts 94. This movement of the lever 90 carries the stop 91 into the path of the tooth 84: on the gear 82,,

thereby checking the same alter the code wheel has completed about one revolution only and transmitted a short trouble signal,

'which can be readily distinguished at the checked by the tooth 84; contacting the stop 91, as above-described.

W hen the gear 82 isrotated at the time a fire alarm is transmitted, the concentric surface105 actuates the lever 110, causing it to close the contact 116 and short cir cuit the main line through wires 160 and 162. This cuts out all other transmitters between the one sending in the alarm and the resistance coil 138, and hence confusion due to one or more transmitters sending in different alarms at the same time is avoided. After the transmitter has sent in an alarm the contact 116 is opened by the end of the lever 110 dropping into the recess 108, and thus the main line is automatically restored to receive signals from any of the transmitters connected thereto.

When the gear 82 is rotated only part of a revolution at the time a trouble alarm is Patent, is

1. In a deviceoi the character described, a code-wheel, a switch. to coact with said code-wheel in transmi ting messages, a train of gearing associated with the code-wheel, a

spring to drive said train and which on winding or unwinding drives the code wheel, a vibratory governor 'to normally lock the train from rotation and also regulate the speed of such rotation, an electrically-controlled device normally in the path of said governor to hold the same sta-' tionary, an element to hold the device out of the path of the governor after said device has been energized, and means to restore said element to normal position and also hold theswitch in closed position during winding of the spring.

2. In a system of the character described, a code wheel, a make-and-break switch to coact with said code' wheel in transmitting signals, a motor spring whichon winding or unwinding rotates said code wheel, means to normally restrain said motor spring from unwinding, magnetic means to efiect the release of said motor spring so that it may unwind, and means for performing the dual function of holding the switch in closed position during the winding of the spring to prevent said switch from coasting with the code wheel and for restoring the spring restraining means to normal position.

3. In a system of the character described. a code wheel, a make-and-break switch to coact with said code wheel in transmitting signals, a motor spring which on winding or unwinding rotates said code wheel, means i for normally holding one side of the switch yieldable in coactive relation with the code wheel, means to normally restrain said motor spring from unwinding, magneticmeans to effect the release of said motor spring so that it may unwind, and manual means for performingthe dual function of holding the switch. in closed position during the windingot the motor spring'to prevent said.

wheel in transmitting signals, and means to prevent the application of lrey to the shaft until said means has been adjusted to hold the switch in closed position during the winding of the s' oring to prevent suid switch from coecting with the code wheel.

5. In a system of the character described, a code wheel, a nielie-sndbresk switch to coact with said code wheel in transmit ng 1 signals, a motor snring ich on r.

or unwinding rotates said code i nisrn including oscillatory governor "tor "i unnormally prevenoni winding, a lever to pi'eve from oscillating and ellowin unwind, electric sly control disengaging said lever from g s so that the some may oscil gel. the spring to unwind, a lock our to hold lever out or" the path or the governor, and means for said loci; to nor mal position and also holding the switch in closed position curing the winding of the motor spring.

7. In a system of the character described, signal transmitting mechanism, a motor spring for actuating said mechanism, u tra n including an escapenient for controlling the unwinding of the spring, governor normally holding said esccpernent static s1 and also to osc llate therewith to con'tih the speed thereof when in operation, at lever to hold said governor stationery, to disengage said lever from the governor so that the spring may unwind and actuate tl e signal trensrnitting mechanism, e rcclreble loclr bar for holding the lever out of the path of the governor so that the some may continue to operate after the electromagnetbecoines deensrgized, aspring to rock said loci: be: to active position, and manual means for performing the dual function of adjusting the lock her out of the path of the lever so that the some may be restored to normal position after transmission of the signals for holding the signal transmit ting mechei'iisin closed during rewinding oi the motor spring.

8. ln 21 system or" the character described, a code wheel, a motor spring which on winding or unwinding rotates ssid code wheel, mechanism to restrain seid spring from unwin tch to coect with the code wheel in bi in. ting signsls, s. in line wire over which the sig sis are transmitted, at noi'r lly open local rcuit, thermostatic nie ins for clo communication between said local oi nit the line circuit,

e to prevent the spring rest aining mechanism from prematurely checl g the unwinding of seio spring stoppii g the transmission of sign I l device for restoring the cl and holding the switch "from coscting with the code noel during winding of the spring.

9. e system of the character described, 'gnel transmitting niechnisrn, restrainnieens therefor, main circuit over which the signals are transmitted, e normally open locsl circuit, a normally closed local circuit connected to the circuit, thermostatic nieans -for short-cii'cuiting sci-1i normally closed circuit through the. normolly open circuit should the temperture become abnormal, a shunt circuit connected to the circuit and having open terminals opposite similar terminals of the normolly open local circuit, u switch to close a path between the open terminals of the norreally open locel circuit and one side of the main circuit, latch means to normally hold the switch in position to close said path, an electromugnet which is energized and releases the restraining means when the normal y open local circuit closes, and means geared to the signal transmitting mechanism for releasing the switch so that the some may cut out the local circuits and establish the main line circuit through the shunt circuit.

in testimony whereof I my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

F. Frscmu, L. J. Frsormn. 

